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Audio Postcard: A Ragweed Story

As part of ideastream's special multi-media coverage this week on "Attacking Allergies," assistant producer Kathryn Baker has this first-person audio postcard on what it's like to live with allergies. Here's Shawn Pawlowski's ragweed story...he's a farmer from Medina.

Monday, June 21, 2010 at 4:03 am

SHAWN PAWLOWSKI: There's something about being outside. There's nobody around, nobody blowing their horn you know you see a neighbor they wave at you it's just nice being outside. And it's diverse every year is different.I plant about 25 acres of corn and then I don't know maybe 200 acres of beans soybeans and about 30 acres of hay.

The worst time of the year is probably about the time we get done baling straw and the rag weed starts coming up. Maybe sneeze about 30 times a day and your throat itches like crazy and your eyes water and you can't never breathe out of your nose because it's completely stuffed up and that ragweed is hitting that baler everytime and kicking up that pollen oh man does that kill me. It's just something you deal with … I guess it's like a dog that's missing it's leg it don't know any better, you know?

If I take that pill prescribed I think it's a 24 hour pill and I always tell people that thing is right on the money I know when the 24 hours is up.

Once we get that first good frost my allergies are gone. So you know so you know you never want an early frost to kill your crops..you want them to kind of dry down how they are supposed to....but after that first frost you're never so happy it's like you're a brand new person.

RAGWEED SUFFERER, SHAWN PAWLOWSKI OF MEDINA...IN HIS OWN WORDS. HIS AUDIO POSTCARD WAS PRODUCE BY IDEASTREAM'S KATHRYN BAKER.

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